Cover Story
Rochester’s poisoned past
A graffiti-covered building hulks over the end of Flint Street — a dilapidated monument on a blighted landscape in southwest Rochester’s Plymouth-Exchange neighborhood. The building is part of the Vacuum Oil site, a 24-acre property along the Genesee River waterfront that once held an oil refinery (it shut down in the 1930’s). In the decades…
Microsoft unveils Xbox One
In a press conference today, Microsoft unveiled the Xbox One, the successor to its Xbox 360 home video game system.
Good government groups take aim at soft money
A new report says that between 2006 and 2012, the Monroe County Republican Party took in more so-called soft money contributions than any other county-level political committee in New York State. According to the report, which was put together by Common Cause/NY and NYPIRG, the party’s housekeeping committee took in $4.4 million in contributions. By…
Vargas wants to bus more city students
Rochester school district officials have asked the State Education Department for permission to change the district’s transportation policy guidelines. Superintendent Bolgen Vargas says he wants to provide elementary students who live a half mile or more from their school with bus transportation. The current policy limits transportation to students who live a mile-and-a-half or more…
Daily Choices: What to do on Wednesday, May 22
Art: Check out “Shapes, Light, and Color….An Ode to Architecture,” a photography exhibit by Dan Neuberger, held at Image City Photography Gallery (722 University Ave.) through June 9. Today’s hours are 11 a.m.-7 p.m., and admission is free. For more information, call 271-2540 or visit imagecityphotographygallery.com.
RCSD: Longer days for an out-of-school culture?
More than a year ago, Rochester schools Superintendent Bolgen Vargas launched a major campaign to improve abysmally low student attendance in the city school district. Now teachers are in the hot seat. Vargas has sent an email to teachers saying that 730 of them were absent last Friday, and he he’s concerned that teacher absenteeism…
Dems protest funding cut, Republicans pass it
Last night, a committee of the Monroe County Legislature passed legislation to cut funding for the Democratic office and increase it for the Republican office. The legislation now goes to the full Legislature for a vote. But it will almost certainly pass, since the GOP holds a 19 to 10 majority in the body. Predictably,…
Confirmed: Spider-Man crew member beaten, robbed while in Rochester
I told you a week or so ago that the grapevine was reporting an incident involving a member of the Spider-Man film crew, which was shooting scenes for the franchise’s next installment a few weeks ago in downtown Rochester. Now, the Rochester Police Department has confirmed the buzz. According to a police spokesperson, a 26-year-old…
Daily Choices: What to do on Tuesday, May 21
Special Event: Dicky’s (791 Meigs St.) will host an Arrested Developement Trivia Night & Costume Contest & Chicken Dance Off tonight, 7 p.m. Admission is free, and prizes will be awarded. COME ON! For more information, call 730-8310 or visit facebook.com/DickysRochester.
Blackfriars releases 2013-14 season schedule
Blackfriars Theatre has released the details of its 64th season, which will start in October 2013 and run through June 2014. The season begins this fall with “Me and Jezebel” (October 18-November 2), a comedy starring local drag legends Aggy Dune and Kasha Davis about actress Bette Davis coming to dinner at a fan’s home…
Concert Review: The Slackers, Mikaela Davis, The Smithereens, Big Sandy
UPDATE 5/21/13 to correct the spelling of Pat DiNizio’s name. The Slackers are just so cool. The Bug Jar was like a Frigidaire when these Brooklyn cats rolled through town to rock steady last Thursday night. The band’s groove is punctuated by an understated beat; it hits your hips and feet but never clobbers you…
“Game of Thrones” Season 3, Episode 8: An Imp-ulsive wedding
The final act of Season 3 kicked off with several major plot points and some wonderful dialogue, making for another terrific episode in – I think – the strongest season of the show yet. *The main plotline of the night took place in King’s Landing, specifically the utterly joyless forced wedding of Tyrion Lannister and…
WEEK AHEAD: County Lej debates funding cut for Democrats
A Monroe County Legislature committee will debate tonight Republican-sponsored legislation to cut funding for the Lej’s Democratic office. The Agenda-Charter Committee, which meets at 6 p.m., will probably vote on the legislation. The committee meets in the Legislature Chambers in the County Office Building, 39 West Main Street. Republican Majority Leader Steve Tucciarello introduced the…
Daily Choices: What to do on Monday, May 20
Lecture: The Susan B. Anthony Museum and House (17 Madison St.) will host an event in their Monday lecture series today, during which Dr. Alison Parker
Report notes changes in Lake Ontario, other Great Lakes
Warmer surface water temperatures and declining winter ice cover suggest that climate change is affecting the Great Lakes, including Lake Ontario, says a report released this week by the International Joint Commission. The report evaluates 16 indicators of the Great Lakes’ health and water quality. And for the most part, the measurements are trending in…
Daily Choices: What to do on Saturday, May 18 and Sunday, May 19
Special Event: Preview the brilliance of the coming generations at the Finger Lakes Regional Invention Convention, hosted by Rochester Museum and Science Center (657 East Ave.) on Saturday, May 18, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. The event is included in museum admission ($11-$13). For more info, call 697-1942 or visit rmsc.org.
City budget cuts Mounted Patrol, 311 hours
But more would be invested in youth and recreation and the library system.
Daily Choices: What to do on Friday, May 17
Film: “Star Trek Into Darkness” opens in wide release today. For film times head right here.
“American Idol” 2013 Finale: And the winner is…
And finally, the finale. The show opened with the Top 10 all dressed in white, lipsynching to “Glad You Came” by The Wanted. I honestly barely remembered that Devin and Paul existed. And Curtis Finch Jr. is seriously the worst lip syncher. It’s just so weird that this is a singing competition, and the finalists…
2013 ELECTIONS: Monroe County Dems pick slate
Incumbents have a big night, with one exception.
Clash between Legislature Dems, GOP continues
The relationship between Republicans and Democrats in the Monroe County Legislature was strained before, but now the two sides are engaged in straight-up partisan warfare.
Spider-Man crew member robbed in Rochester?
Seriously, what good is having Spider-Man around if he can’t stop a common street mugging? According to the minutes of the May 13 NBN Sector 6 meeting — and confirmed by someone who was at the meeting — a member of the Spider-Man film crew was the victim of an alleged street robbery while the…
“American Idol” 2013: Final 2, Candice vs. Kree Sing-Off!
Finally, the Final 2! Candice Glover vs. Kree Harrison. This was not the finale I was expecting, and I doubt I’m alone in that. I expected Angie Miller to be going up against Candice. I felt the whole season was building to it. And Angie’s ouster last week really did surprise me. I had pegged…
Vargas foresees a smaller Rochester school district
It’s difficult to create stability in a system whirling from change, but that’s where the Rochester school district is today. Historically speaking, the district is facing an unprecedented drop in student enrollment, says Superintendent Bolgen Vargas. The main reason: charter schools. President Obama’s education policy — Race to the Top — lifted the cap on…
Tiresome antics at the County Legislature
We have complained for years about the bickering, partisanship, and posturing that takes place regularly in the Monroe County Legislature. But last night surprised even us — a new, embarrassing low. Picture a kindergarten class with mostly mean kids.
CityGate plans include a Costco
This post has been corrected and clarified. Developers Anthony and Brett Costello are rebooting their proposed CityGate project in Rochester, revealing at a press conference this morning that Costco will be CityGate’s anchor tenant. CityGate would be located at the former Iola Campus at the intersection of East Henrietta and Westfall roads. A previous CityGate…
AMERICANA | Jim Avett
I guess you could say the tree doesn’t stand too far from where the apple falls. The Avett Brothers’ father, Jim, has retired from his career as a welder to hit the road, just like his very popular boys. Perhaps the welding dream didn’t pan out for him. His music is rooted in the same…
Urban Action 5/15
This week’s calls to action include the following events and activities. (All are free and open to the public, unless otherwise noted.) Project TIPS event Project TIPS will hold its first event on Thursday, May 16, in Pulaski Park, 1200 North Street in Rochester’s 14621 neighborhood. Police will go door to door from 2 p.m.…
New role for Rochester’s Red Shirts?
The guy hit the gas instead of the brake, sending his car smashing through the garage wall of his home in Rochester’s Grove Place neighborhood, and rupturing a gas line. He tried to call Rochester Gas and Electric — you know how much fun that can be — but then the Red Shirts showed up.…
The Mighty High and Dry
In addition to having arguably one of the cooler band names in all of Smugtown, The Mighty High and Dry is the sum of some impressive parts. Members of this elite ensemble have flexed in the wall-o-brash brass that was The Po’ Boys Brass Band and the funky-as-it-gets boogie of Street Level. Compared to those…
FESTIVAL | 2013 Rochester Lilac Festival
The weather wasn’t exactly cooperative for the first weekend of the 2013 Rochester Lilac Festival, so let’s hope the second half of spring salvo is embraced a little more closely by Mother Nature. Among the free music headliners taking the Main Stage this week are world-music mainstays Rusted Root, “Blood & Roses” rockers The Smithereens,…
THEATER: “A Midsummer Night’s Dream”
For a director, William Shakespeare’s “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” is always threatening to become “A Midsummer Night’s Nightmare.” The wide-ranging play, currently at Geva Theatre Center, dives headlong into comedy at the same time that it sidles more subtly toward tragedy. The challenge is to give full expression to its contradictory nature yet come away…
THEATER | “50 Shades! The Musical”
Our culture is inundated with what is known as “potato-chip entertainment.” We know that certain books, programs, and films offer little intellectual sustenance, if they don’t rot our minds outright. But it’s difficult to put it down, especially when everyone we know is indulging. A little while ago, it seemed like everyone was reading the…
POP/ROCK | New Found Glory
While New Found Glory’s heyday may have been in the late 90’s and early 00’s, that certainly doesn’t mean it has lost any punch in the interim. In town for the 10-year anniversary tour of “Sticks and Stones,” the band has come to not only play the album in its entirety, but maybe show you…
KIDS | “Seedfolks”/Teen Book Festival
Two events taking place this week focus on literature geared toward children, and can help families wrap up the school year while emphasizing summer reading, community, and healthy choices. The Southwest Area Neighborhood Association’s youth after-school program will present its production of “Seedfolks,” a play celebrating gardening, youth, and community. The play has been adapted…
Feedback 5/15
We welcome your comments. Send them to themail@rochester-citynews.com, or post them on our website, rochestercitynewspaper.com, our Facebook page, or our Twitter feed, @roccitynews. For our print edition, we select comments from all three sources; those of fewer than 350 words have a greater chance of being published, and we do edit those selections. We don’t…
RECREATION | Planetary Conjunction over the Swamp
The seasonal warmth of the days is finally stretching into the evenings, so take advantage of the more comfortable weather and check out the beautiful nighttime skies. Thousand Acre Swamp Sanctuary (1581 Jackson Road, Penfield) will host a Planetary Conjunction over the Swamp gathering on Friday, May 17, at 8:30 p.m. Weather providing and with…
BLUEGRASS | The Lyric Chorale
The last time I heard them, it was sacred classical. But the 40-voice community chorus of The Lyric Chorale is contemporary bluegrass for its spring concert, “Black Ties and Blue Grass.” The concert will feature American music, including “The World Beloved: A Bluegrass Mass” by Carol Barnett. Librettist Marisha Chamberlain described the mass as coming…
SPECIAL EVENTS | Bonsai and Historic Plant Sales
We’re in the midst of that odd, yet completely welcome, mixture of spring and summer weather, and everything’s blooming and thriving and making Rochester more cheerful than it was mere weeks ago. If your home or office needs the pick-me-up that the exterior world has gained, check out one of this week’s plant-oriented events and…
National security and the problem with Syria
As we leave Afghanistan, will we jump into Syria? Should we? An estimated 80,000 people have been killed in the Syrian conflict, and the United Nations estimates that more than 5 million have been uprooted. Officials in Jordan say that 10 percent of that country’s population now consists of Syrian refugees, according to a BBC…
ART | “The Price of Freedom is Death: Black Arts Aesthetic Art Show”
The Black Arts Movement was the artistic branch of the Black Power Movement, initiated by unflinching poet and playwright Amiri Baraka in Harlem in 1965. The movement sought to inspire African Americans to re-evaluate western aesthetics and to define an identity and aesthetic that was distinct from and refused to assimilate with the identity, aesthetics,…
ROCK | Sky People
Local band Sky People describes itself as being “a crowd of cloud-dwellers [who] coalesce to create cacophonous compositions.” Alliteration aside, Sky People is a band that has a clear reverence for the psychedelic rock that came out of the 60’s, made obvious thanks to the band’s frequent use of rich harmonies and its relaxed, laid-back…
SPECIAL EVENT | Uncork Your Imagination
This week, you can attend an event that is playful in its theme while geared toward adult guests who will be enabled to help a child literacy organization. Whether or not you have children, you’ll enjoy this throwback evening of story, song, culinary delights, and community. On Thursday, May 16, 5-8 p.m., Visual Studies Workshop…
Punk | The UV Race
The UV Race comes all the way from Australia, where the band makes a lo-fi brand of punk that is akin to the likes of Lou Reed, The Sex Pistols, and The Ramones. The band doesn’t stray far from the classic punk feel, generally employing a limited melody, defiant lyricism, and conventional punk instrumentation. However,…
FOLK/JAZZ | Kneptune
This will be this Rochester band’s Lovin’ Cup debut. Self-described as alternative/folk/jazz, this seven-piece adds an element of darkness to its rather dense textures and lighthearted irony. It’s kind of a cross between Primus and 10,000 Maniacs. Polyrhythmic and loads of fun. Kneptune performs with Upward Groove Saturday, May 18, 9 p.m. at Lovin’ Cup,…
Daily Choices: What to do on Thursday, April 25
Theater: “50 Shades! The Musical,” the parody of the book series “50 Shades of Grey,” comes to the Auditorium Theatre (885 E. Main St.) tonight. The 7:30 p.m. show sold out, and a 5 p.m. show has been added. Tickets cost $39.50-$47.50, and the musical is recommended for ages 18 and over. For more information,…
SKA | The Slackers
Of all the genres I like, I have multiple favorite bands for multiple various reasons. But when it comes to ska, I’ve got one: The Slackers. Since the early 90’s, this Brooklyn-based band has played around rock-steady grooves with subtlety and control, mixing elements of jazz, calypso, and garage rock. When the band comes to…
Remmereit named new Rochester Chamber Orchestra artistic director
Arild Remmereit, former music director of the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra, has been named artistic director of the Rochester Chamber Orchestra. This follows a February benefit concert for the RCO led by Remmereit after his split with the RPO in late 2012. The 2013-14 season for the RCO will be the last for founder, music director,…
Hands of help for rape survivors
This is a corrected version of this story. Survivors of rape and sexual assault often have trouble healing emotionally because talking about the experience is difficult. They often experience guilt, shame, and depression when family, friends, health care professionals, and even law enforcement ask questions like: “Why didn’t you run?” “Why didn’t you scream?” or…
DANCE: “Past, Present, and Future”
At an April rehearsal at the Rochester City Ballet studios on University Avenue, the company was running through the George Balanchine work “Serenade” under the direction of Leslie Peck, one of an elite group of dancers authorized by the George Balanchine Trust to stage his ballets, in an effort to keep the artistic integrity of…
“The Great Gatsby”
The hype preceding the long-awaited release of “The Great Gatsby” rivals the hoopla surrounding summer blockbusters — Cartier features Gatsby jewelry and Brooks Brothers (naturally) offers a Gatsby line of clothing; there’s a video game, and who knows, maybe the toy stores will sell Gatsby action figures. As someone who has taught F. Scott Fitzgerald’s…
DINING REVIEW: Orange Glory Cafe
Jackie Powers, the owner of Orange Glory Café on East Avenue, would like you to have a cookie. She says so on her website. Every review and evaluation of her restaurant swoons over them. Without exception, over the course of four visits, every diner I saw leaving the restaurant was carrying one out of the…
“To the Wonder”
Terrence Malick is a polarizing filmmaker. Some people respond to his works, in all their enigmatic glory — dreamy, abstract narratives told though hushed, half-conversations, weighty ideas contrasted against a fascination with the natural world and, always, endlessly expansive shots of sunsets. Others find his work pretentious and dull. Generally speaking, I would label myself…
How do parents feel about the Rochester school district?
The Rochester school district has had a tenuous relationship with parents for years. Almost every superintendent in recent memory has made some kind of an effort to improve relations between parents, teachers, and school administrators. But success has been illusive and varied depending on the school. The district’s Office of Parent Engagement is making a…
Citizen budget ideas include closing Durand beach, cutting Mounted Patrol
The suggestions made during the City of Rochester’s Voice of the Citizen budget meetings aren’t really surprising. It’s also not clear how these relatively small adjustments would help the city close its $28 million gap. City officials offered four opportunities — one in each quadrant — for the public to provide input on the upcoming…
